Incidents shine light on questionable police conduct

The Lawrence Police Department is under fire from defense attorneys, civil liberties advocates and even judges who say the agency needs lessons in conducting interrogations and searches so constitutional rights arenÃ¢ÂÂt mangled or criminal cases bungled.

Defense lawyers are calling on police to change their search and interrogation procedures because, they say, there are systemic problems within the department and a handful of officers who need to be reined in.

Ã¢ÂÂI could - but I wonÃ¢ÂÂt - name you five bad officers, who I feel continually go beyond what the Constitution allows. I think they ought to be rooted out or at least told to knock it off, but I donÃ¢ÂÂt see that happening,Ã¢ÂÂ Lawrence defense attorney John Frydman told the Journal-World.

The Douglas County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union last week sent a letter to Police Chief Ron Olin, asking him to require officers to get written consent from people on the receiving end of consensual searches - those done without a warrant - before such searches are allowed to begin.

Too many people, particularly minors, donÃ¢ÂÂt know they have the right to refuse an officerÃ¢ÂÂs request for a search of their person or vehicle, chapter president Mary Davidson wrote in the letter.

There have been a Ã¢ÂÂnumber of casesÃ¢ÂÂ in the county, she wrote, Ã¢ÂÂin which the arresting officer testified that consent was given for a search, while the defendant testified that no such consent was given. In several cases, the court has determined that no consent had been shown to exist. As members of the ACLU, we are quite concerned about this trend.Ã¢ÂÂ

More evidence

ThereÃ¢ÂÂs more evidence of a problem at the police department, though Olin and his overseers at City Hall say all is well and that concerns raised by attorneys and even judges are normal given the adversarial nature of the U.S. legal system, which pits defense lawyers and their clients against police and prosecutors.

But the departmentÃ¢ÂÂs critics point to a couple of recent police interrogations to support their claim the department needs to reconsider how it operates. One interrogation violated the law. The second incident, for many, suggested the presence of an us-against-them culture at the department that encourages bullying tactics and hinders common-sense judgment.

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Police procedural error during the interrogation of a man accused of aiding an armed robbery at the Virginia Inn Motel, 2903 W. Sixth St., prompted judges to throw out the case. That allowed the alleged felon to go free.

In that case, the rebuke to the police in a ruling from Douglas County District Court Judge Michael Malone was harsh and to the point.

Ã¢ÂÂThis is the most blatant ignoring of someoneÃ¢ÂÂs constitutional rights that I think IÃ¢ÂÂve ever seen,Ã¢ÂÂ Malone said from the bench. Ã¢ÂÂItÃ¢ÂÂs unfortunate that Ã¢ÂÂ: the detective believes he is indeed operating within the framework of the law.Ã¢ÂÂ

Malone said Ã¢ÂÂthere is not a court in the landÃ¢ÂÂ that would have upheld the police departmentÃ¢ÂÂs handling of the case.

He wondered aloud if the police had played Ã¢ÂÂmind gamesÃ¢ÂÂ with the defendant.

Judge blames DA

Turning his attention to the Douglas County District AttorneyÃ¢ÂÂs Office, Malone said, Ã¢ÂÂI think one of the roles of the law enforcement system is to have the prosecutor serve as a teacher and the students are police officers, and the class needs to be called Ã¢ÂÂ'Constitutional Rights of Citizens.Ã¢ÂÂ

Ã¢ÂÂWhen a police officer flunks the test, they need to retake the class, not to have their failing performance somehow argued as being acceptable.Ã¢ÂÂ

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ There also was the recent case of a 17-year-old cashier at McDonaldÃ¢ÂÂs taken in for interrogation after an on-duty Lawrence police officer found a piece of lint in his order of chicken strips.

The boyÃ¢ÂÂs mother complained her son was interrogated for three hours before she was notified and that her son was never advised he could call an attorney. Police said the boy was only interrogated for an hour and a half and that there is no legal obligation for them to contact parents when suspects are 14 or older.

The boy was released later the same day and never charged. Police never apologized to the boy or his family, saying they observed all proprieties and legalities in their investigation of what they suspected was a case of Ã¢ÂÂfood tampering.Ã¢ÂÂ

Internal affairs

For reasons never fully explained, the department sent the lint to a lab for testing. The full expense of the testing isnÃ¢ÂÂt known yet, city officials said. But each hour of lint analysis costs the department between $50 and $60.

The case also cost the department and its chief hours of follow-up time after the mother filed a complaint and the incident was reported in the Journal-World. The complaint sparked an internal affairs investigation in which the department absolved itself of any wrongdoing.

Olin provided the newspaper a brief letter of explanation regarding the chicken lint episode. The Journal-World later acquired a longer memo the chief sent to City Hall officials explaining the internal affairs investigation of the episode.

Ã¢ÂÂIt is my belief that this could have been handled differently by other officers or sergeants,Ã¢ÂÂ Olin wrote to city officials. Ã¢ÂÂHowever, all the officers involved adhered strictly to the policies and procedures of the department. There were no violations of law by the officers.Ã¢ÂÂ

That statement, not shared with the public, was the closest Olin came to an apology or indication of regret about the incident.

In any event, the department had not been accused of violating the law in the incident, merely of being overzealous in its investigation of a relatively trivial matter.

OlinÃ¢ÂÂs memo also seems to cast blame on news organizations for reporting the incident.

Ã¢ÂÂWe are very serious about preserving our reputation in the community,Ã¢ÂÂ Olin wrote. Ã¢ÂÂThe manner in which this was reported did a disservice to that goal.Ã¢ÂÂ

Ã¢ÂÂ'Not unusualÃ¢ÂÂ

Lawrence attorney Rick Frydman said he was only half surprised when he heard about the chicken lint incident.

Ã¢ÂÂI was surprised they spent three hours on chicken strips,Ã¢ÂÂ he said. Ã¢ÂÂBut the cops going overboard - thatÃ¢ÂÂs not unusual.Ã¢ÂÂ

Rick Frydman has represented dozens of young people who cooperated when police officers asked to search their pockets, their cars, or consented to questioning, then found themselves charged with a crime.

Ã¢ÂÂYouÃ¢ÂÂre going to have a hard time finding a criminal defense attorney in Lawrence whoÃ¢ÂÂs not handling at least one of these cases,Ã¢ÂÂ Rick Frydman said. Ã¢ÂÂI probably get one a month - and thatÃ¢ÂÂs just me.Ã¢ÂÂ

Rick Frydman and John Frydman are brothers.

Olin said he didnÃ¢ÂÂt put much credence in their criticism.

Squabbles between police and defense attorneys, he said, are commonplace.

Police, he said, are in the business of protecting the public from criminals, and itÃ¢ÂÂs the lawyersÃ¢ÂÂ job to defend the criminals.

Ã¢ÂÂWe try to stay exactly within the law,Ã¢ÂÂ Olin said.

Ã¢ÂÂ'OutrageousÃ¢ÂÂ

Rick Frydman said Olin was right, that most officers were Ã¢ÂÂgood people trying to do good work.Ã¢ÂÂ

Ã¢ÂÂBut there are a few wayward officers who donÃ¢ÂÂt get reined in when they get out of line,Ã¢ÂÂ he said.

Rick Frydman pointed out that in a letter last week to the Journal-World that addressed the chicken lint incident, Chief Olin wrote that his department Ã¢ÂÂcontinues to operate and conduct investigations with the utmost professionalism.Ã¢ÂÂ

Ã¢ÂÂThatÃ¢ÂÂs outrageous,Ã¢ÂÂ Rick Frydman said. Ã¢ÂÂHere youÃ¢ÂÂve got officers holding a kid for three hours over chicken strips, and the police chief comes out and says they acted professionally.Ã¢ÂÂ

But Olin insisted the officers did nothing wrong. The cashier, he said, was rightfully asked if he would mind going downtown for questioning and willingly agreed to go.

From there, Olin said, the investigation proceeded like any other.

Ã¢ÂÂIn the past year, I think weÃ¢ÂÂve investigated four reports of food-tampering incidents,Ã¢ÂÂ he said. Ã¢ÂÂThis one just happened to involve an officer as the victim. ThatÃ¢ÂÂs the only thing that was different about it.Ã¢ÂÂ

Olin said the interrogation lasted an hour and 25 minutes; the teenagerÃ¢ÂÂs mother told the Journal-World she spent at least two and a half hours in the lobby waiting for her son.

Know your rights

Rick Frydman said he didnÃ¢ÂÂt see much difference between police grilling an innocent cashier for hours and somebody being stopped for a traffic violation only to have his car searched for drugs.

Ã¢ÂÂThe common denominator is that people, especially minors, donÃ¢ÂÂt know their rights,Ã¢ÂÂ he said. Ã¢ÂÂSo when an officer - in uniform, with a badge and wearing a holster - asks you to go downtown, you donÃ¢ÂÂt hear Ã¢ÂÂ'Will you come with me?Ã¢ÂÂ you hear, Ã¢ÂÂ'YouÃ¢ÂÂre coming with me.Ã¢ÂÂ

Ã¢ÂÂItÃ¢ÂÂs the same thing when they ask to search your car.Ã¢ÂÂ

Court rulings have established that under the Constitution, police have the right to stop someone suspected of wrongdoing, ask to see their identification and vehicle registration.

The driver has the right to move on after heÃ¢ÂÂs been given a warning or a ticket, assuming heÃ¢ÂÂs not found to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.

From the moment the officer gives the driver back his license, the encounter is considered to be consensual and the driver is free to go or stay.

At the same time, the officer is free to ask permission to search the driverÃ¢ÂÂs vehicle or his pockets if there is Ã¢ÂÂreasonable suspicionÃ¢ÂÂ of criminal activity. According to defense lawyers, the driver can - and should - just say no and leave.

If consent is given, the officer is free to conduct a thorough search.

Machine guns?

Several Lawrence criminal defense attorneys said itÃ¢ÂÂs not unusual for police here to stop cars for minor traffic infractions, assure the drivers they wonÃ¢ÂÂt be ticketed, and off-handedly ask if theyÃ¢ÂÂre hauling machine guns or heroin.

When the driver, grateful for not being ticketed, assures the officer that heÃ¢ÂÂs not, the officer then asks if itÃ¢ÂÂs OK to search the trunk or check the back seat.

Ã¢ÂÂMost people know the officer has the right to stop them for a traffic violation, so when he asks to search their car, they figure he has that right too. So they say Ã¢ÂÂ'Yeah, sure, go ahead,Ã¢ÂÂ said Elbridge Ã¢ÂÂSkipÃ¢ÂÂ Griffy, a Lawrence defense attorney.

Then the officer can legally do a thorough search. If the remains of a marijuana cigarette are found - as they often are - the driver will likely be charged with possession.

In Kansas, a second marijuana possession charge is considered a low-level felony.

According to the lawyers, most possession charges filed in Douglas County involve less than a gram of marijuana.

Ã¢ÂÂItÃ¢ÂÂs offensive to me that someone can get stopped on a traffic violation and end up having their car searched,Ã¢ÂÂ Rick Frydman said. Ã¢ÂÂWhen I drive by and see police searching somebodyÃ¢ÂÂs car, I donÃ¢ÂÂt think Ã¢ÂÂ'Lawrence and its Free State legacy.Ã¢ÂÂ IÃ¢ÂÂm thinking, Ã¢ÂÂ'Lawrence, The Police State.Ã¢ÂÂÃ¢ÂÂ

Olin dismissed the allegations.

Ã¢ÂÂIf you volunteer to have your property or person searched and youÃ¢ÂÂre not carrying any contraband, then thereÃ¢ÂÂll be no probable cause for arrest,Ã¢ÂÂ he said.

Also, he said, officers can ill-afford to be out of line in their questioning because they know their actions will be challenged in court.

Bungled interrogation

Lawrence police did not fare well last year when Lawrence attorney Shelley Bock questioned a detectiveÃ¢ÂÂs actions in a case involving one of four Topeka men accused of robbing the Virginia Inn.

Bock established that during an interrogation, his client, Henry Davis, twice told Det. Jack Cross that if he was going to be arrested, he wanted his attorney to be called.

The detective assured Davis he was not under arrest.

Davis also handed Cross a Ã¢ÂÂprepaid legal cardÃ¢ÂÂ that read, in part: Ã¢ÂÂTo any law enforcement officer or security personnel, if it is your intention to question, detain or arrest me, please allow me to call Ã¢ÂÂ: an attorney immediately.Ã¢ÂÂ

Cross laid the card aside and continued questioning Davis. At the end of the interrogation Davis was jailed and charged with aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, two counts of theft and aiding a felon.

Bock asked Judge Malone to suppress statements made by his client because he had been denied access to legal counsel. Malone upheld that motion.

The District AttorneyÃ¢ÂÂs Office appealed MaloneÃ¢ÂÂs ruling to the state Court of Appeals.

The higher court upheld MaloneÃ¢ÂÂs decision. The case has since been dismissed. Davis is a free man.

Bock said that as DavisÃ¢ÂÂ attorney he had no choice but to challenge CrossÃ¢ÂÂ handling of the case.

Ã¢ÂÂIf weÃ¢ÂÂre concerned about fairness in our society, then our legal system ought to be striving to follow the rules and the Constitution from the beginning rather than, as in this case, after youÃ¢ÂÂre in court,Ã¢ÂÂ Bock said.

Olin defended CrossÃ¢ÂÂ handling of the case, noting that Davis said he wanted to call an attorney if he was going to be arrested. But the detective, Olin said, didnÃ¢ÂÂt know if Davis would, in fact, be charged.

When it became clear that Davis would be arrested, he was read his rights, Olin said.

Ã¢ÂÂ(Davis) was being detained, but he was not under custodial arrest,Ã¢ÂÂ Olin said.

Unreasonable suspicion

Last month, Malone ruled against the police in another Bock case, this one involving a KU janitor who had been stopped late at night for driving without a tag. Within minutes, police assured the man he would not be ticketed and then asked him for permission to empty his pockets and search his car.

The man was found to have a small bag of marijuana in his jeans pocket. He was charged with possession.

No drugs or contraband were found in the manÃ¢ÂÂs car.

Bock asked the court to suppress the evidence, arguing that his client, Ronny Mole, had been duped into letting the officer search his car, and that there wasnÃ¢ÂÂt a Ã¢ÂÂ'reasonable suspicionÃ¢ÂÂ that Mole was engaged in criminal activity outside of driving without a tag.

Malone, a former prosecutor, upheld BockÃ¢ÂÂs motion, noting that:

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Mole had testified that heÃ¢ÂÂd been stopped in the past and mistakenly thought Ã¢ÂÂif you donÃ¢ÂÂt give them consent to search, usually thatÃ¢ÂÂs probably cause for them to call in a full search.Ã¢ÂÂ

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ MoleÃ¢ÂÂs appearing nervous, his being out late at night and the officerÃ¢ÂÂs knowing heÃ¢ÂÂd been arrested before for drugs were not enough to warrant Ã¢ÂÂ'reasonable suspicionÃ¢ÂÂ that Mole was engaged in criminal activity beyond driving without a tag.

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ The officer asked for permission to search Mole and his car before heÃ¢ÂÂd given Mole back his driverÃ¢ÂÂs license, causing Mole to think he had no choice but to comply.

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Olin defended the officer. The incident, he said, occurred a year and half before the case went to trial, and the officer could not remember whether heÃ¢ÂÂd given Mole back his license or had laid it on the hood of MoleÃ¢ÂÂs car.

Also, Olin said, when the officer asked for permission to search, Mole took his hands out of his pockets, handed the officer his marijuana and said, Ã¢ÂÂHere, you probably want this.Ã¢ÂÂ

Though disappointed, Olin said he was not upset by MaloneÃ¢ÂÂs ruling.

Ã¢ÂÂThe system worked exactly the way itÃ¢ÂÂs supposed to work,Ã¢ÂÂ he said. Ã¢ÂÂWe made a good faith effort in making legal decisions on the street, we had a District Attorney who agreed with us and we went to court. ThatÃ¢ÂÂs not abusing our authority.Ã¢ÂÂ

City Hall response

Mayor Sue Hack said she fully supports the Lawrence Police Department and Chief Olin. She said she saw no problem with the way the agency operated. Other city commissioners said they were unaware of any problems at the department.

City Manager Mike Wildgen said police acted properly in the chicken lint investigation.

As for the Virginia Inn case, well, he said, you win some, you lose some.